Several Union County standouts on the gridiron were honored by the Arkansas Activities Association by being tabbed as All-State selections.
El Dorado, Junction City and Smackover each had three members earn All-State honors.
Leading the way for the Wildcats is quarterback Alex Hicks.
A junior, Hicks threw for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns while also rushing for 885 yards and 12 scores despite missing three games.
“Alex was so important offensively in every way,” said El Dorado coach Scott Reed. “I was so pleased with his first year playing quarterback. I think he threw one interception all year. He worked really hard on becoming a complete quarterback. His instinct, at first, was the run first. He played tailback as a sophomore. But, he has a live arm. He’s gotten better and better with touch and understanding when the ball has to come out and his decision making.
“If anything, he’s overly cautious. When you go through eight games and throw one interception, that’s pretty rare. His ability to run helps get things open in the passing game.”
Shun Levingston was a threat both in the backfield and on the outside.
Despite missing four games, Levingston had seven touchdowns combined rushing and receiving.
A senior, Levingston averaged nearly 20 yards per catch and 11 yards per carry while accounting for 1,050 all-purpose yards.
“He’s a hybrid, part running back, part wide receiver,” Reed said. “He’s gotten better and better at his routes. He has very good ball skills and good hands. He plays every snap. When he doesn’t have the ball, he takes great pride in being the best blocker on the field. He wore people out on the perimeter. It’s easy to look at the explosive plays he made, the runs and catches and stuff where you go ‘wow,’ and the whole stadium goes ‘oooh’ at his explosiveness. He scored a bunch of touchdowns. But, he’s complete.
“He’s a guy we don’t want to ever come off the field, whether he’s got the ball or not. You never had to worry about his effort. He’s physical. He’s strong. He carried the load like a running back and also played wide receiver.”
Jeremy Boone anchored El Dorado’s offensive line at right tackle.
Boone, a senior who is 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, has been offered by Ouachita Baptist.
“He was solid all year, in fact, for three years,” Reed said. “He rarely lost one-on-ones. I can’t remember him giving up a sack. That’s because he has very good feet and he’s good technique-wise. Our season was up-and-down, win-loss, win-loss but every week Jeremy Boone graded out. Every week he won. He won his battles. In our conference, coaches all talked about our right tackle. He had a really good three years. He got thrown into the fire as a sophomore. He adapted and got better and better.
“We took him to a couple of camps. He’s not 6-6, 6-7, which is what the Division Ones are looking for. As far as feet and athletic ability, he was as good as any kid I saw in camp last year. He moves like a back. You put him in ladders and bags and cones and all that. He is very athletic.”
A big reason for Junction City’s success stemmed from the one-two punch in the backfield of senior Dhante Gibson and junior Jakiron Cook.
The MVP of the 2A state championship game, Gibson finished with 1,742 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground, averaging nearly eight yards per carry.
Gibson also had 140 or more yards in seven of Junction City’s last eight games.
Defensively, Gibson had 34 tackles, including six for a loss.
“Dhante had a great year on both sides of the ball,” said Junction City coach Steven Jones, adding that Gibson holds offers from Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello. “He capped it off with MVP honors at the state championship game. He’s just a hard-working kid, and I can’t wait to see him play at the next level.”
Cook showed plenty of explosiveness, averaging over seven yards per carry en route to finishing with 1,214 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
He also showed his versatility by catching 15 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
Cook also helped anchor Junction City’s defense by racking up 84 tackles, including eight for a loss with four fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
“Jakiron proved himself to be a very explosive player this year,” Jones said. “He had a great year on both sides of the ball. He played a lot of defensive snaps for us and made a lot of great tackles, but offensively, he was able to change some games.”
Cody Adkins, Junction City’s recipient of the Burlsworth Award that goes to the top lineman for each team in the state finals, was a key figure for Junction City’s bruising ground game.
A senior, Adkins recovered one fumble and registered 3 1/2 tackles for a loss on defense.
“He’s a third-year starter on our offensive line,” Jones said. “It was no secret that we ran the ball behind Cody as much as we could this year. He did an outstanding job of trying to keep a low shoulder pad throughout the year and move his feet. He’s a very strong and dependable offensive lineman.”
Smackover won the 5-3A title in coach Brian Brown’s first year, and they did so thanks to a powerful offense.
Senior running back Greg Turner showed he was a threat to score every time his named was called.
Turner rushed for 1,418 yards on just 111 carries, good for an average of 12.8 yards per carry.
Turner also caught five passes for 97 yards and two scores.
He was also dangerous on special teams by returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown against Genoa Central.
“Greg had a great season as far as running the ball,” Brown said. “He’s one of the best talents I’ve seen at running back, and I’ve coached some good ones. He’s got a bright future ahead of him. He’s dynamic with his speed and power. He had both of those.”
The Bucks also had a playmaker on the outside in Jaqueze Modica.
A junior, Modica caught 45 passes for 776 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Modica averaged 17.2 yards per catch, and like Turner, he was dangerous on special teams, scoring four times either on a kickoff or a punt.
“Jaqueze has got the speed and agility,” Brown said. “He’s got a lot of the tools it takes to be a good receiver. He’s just a phenomenal runner with the ball in his hands. He’s dynamic with the ball in his hands. He gets to a lot of balls that most receivers don’t get to. He’s tough, and he can go high for a ball. He just does a lot of the things it takes to be a great receiver. He’s got a bright future.”
Helping pave the way for Smackover’s offense while also being dominant in the trenches on defense was Max Gathright.
A senior, Gathright registered 90 tackles along with five sacks and one fumble recovery.
“He’s a coach’s dream with his work ethic and being able to play both sides of the ball,” Brown said. “Just the hard work and he’s another guy that runs well. The game is built around that, and Max runs well just like those other two guys. His will and determination to be a good lineman on both sides of the ball makes him a great player.”